Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-09-23

wife OF that still moro unfortunate innn.
Henriette, after that last day at the court,
had fallen into such a state of mental apathy
MS would have caused her friends the liveliest
apprehension had the poor creature had any
one capable Of approaching her dangerous
condition; but those who surrounded her
thought this only the natural reaction after
such acute suffering us she had undergone.
And so at last the poor overweight brain
gave way and she lost her reason completely.
Her instinct, which now governed her move
ments, made her feel that this was an I'M
pleasant place; that IL was connected some
how with something that gave her pain, and
she wandered Off into the woods, bareheaded,
! in her simple black dress, which she had now
adopted entirely, and with thin house slippers
on her tiny feet.
The silence and calm of the cool green for
est soothed her and she wandered down to tho
waters edge While there little boat came
floating along, tenantless, and little eddy
brought it within her reach. With a child
ish, unmeaning laugh she seized it and drew
| it gently to her and then sprang in and the
movement gave impetus TO the boat, which
| floated out and into the swift current Tho
| gentle movement of the boat Gained the
overweight nerves and Henriette fell asleep
and never awoke until daylight on the fol-
lowing morning.
She was far away from her homo then and
in the heart of mountainous region, where
herds and ilocks were browsing and farming
in the valleys was the principal industry. At
bend in the river some floating brushwood
turned the little boat to the bank and Henri
cite stepped ashore, with one bare foot and
one foot shod with a satin slipper.
Her blind instinct led her toward habita-
ton and she lhmped along until she reached a
farm, and she went on silently, like a black
shadow, and up a tagged walk to an open
doorway through tho door and into large,
neat farm kitchen, where she stood smiling
with childish innocence upon the astonished
inmates.
The owners of this farm were an old couple
named Dubois, and they were cbildless, and
had been very unfortunate in their crops for
three or four years. They were simple,
ignorant and supeIstitious, but possessed OF
good hearts. They had not heard Henrigtse
come in, nor had they seen her until some
how they turned and there she was She
smiled and appeared so gentle, and yet so
strange that they regarded her with awe,
and she sat down with them at the table Dad
ate like famished creature, but they saw
that her soft, white hands had never done
any work. They asked her questions as to
whence she came, who she was, but the only
answer she would give was:
~ know nothing about It,"
At night the good old couple placed her in
their own clean bed and they slept upon
pallet. They said to each other:
ave must keep her. She may be Mas
cote and bring us good luck again"
And so poor demented Henriette found
shelter and home with this simple worthy
couple, aud she staid there contentedly, help
ing the old woman in many ways.
Always smiling, always gentle and amiable,
and whether it was that she was Mascotto
or no, the next eight seasons harvests were
so full and abundant and everything pros
pered so well with these two old people, that
one might say that their kindness TO a help
less stranger had brought Gods blessing
with it.
But these poor creatures lived so far away
from Paris, and knew so little of what passed
in the world outside of their narrow valley,
that they could never have imagined tho
truth, and as Henriette had dropped into
their world without warning or knowledge
they accepted her advent and never dreamed
not knowing any other name, and she was
treated far better than they used themselves.
What work she did was done voluntarily.
She fed the chickens and lambs and gathered
fruit, and did much sewing, her beautiful
work seeming like fairy stitches to tho old
people. But her out door life and the puro
air, and excellent food rendered her physical
health much more robust than it had ever
4. Il, h,l gl,, 49,,
dency of weakness, filled out with renewed
yigor, and her beauty took richer type,
even though clouded by the impenetrable
mists of insanity. Her insanity took mild
type and she seemed to have gone back
mentally to the state Of a child Of 8 or Z, so
innocent and so ignorant did she appear. She
spoke very rarely, and then only in mono
syllables, and to every question that was
asked of her on any subject she replied:
II do not know" and then she might after
ward say what was desired of her, but it was
indelibly fixed In that poor wrecked in
telligence that she must always disclaim any
knowledge.
There is no doubt that this was one of the
happest periods of Henriette's existence, for,
knowing nothing, she suffering nothing.
Pence and kindness were her portion and
bodily health Gull and precious boon. In
no asylum the world affords could this poor,
stricken wife and mother have had better
conditions for her ultimate cure than here.
There was nothing TO arouse her dormant
faculties, to make her remember that she was
or ever had been mother.
In this peaceful if humble place Henriette
Laroque lived eight long years. Barely "a
years old when this crushing blow fell upon
her, she was now 81, but time was gentle with
her, and the absence Of wearing thought,
coupled with her healthy life, left her far
fresher and younger in appearance than she
had been before she became demented.
1t was in 1872 that the tragic events we
have narrated took place, and we take up the
thread again in 1880, and follow Roger La
rogue and his little girl, who eight years be-
fore in a stormy night left France for
America.
One day, quite Unexpectedly, tall man,
with wide shoulders, with hair and head
white as snow, though he was not old enough
TO have had suci n mark of age, alighted
from the train at n station in the charming
little valley town of Chevreuss. With him
was beautiful young girl, whose age would
be judged to be somewhere near 20, but who
was in reality not yet IT, They were
both strangers. and Us such attracted consid-
cradle attention from the loungeis about the
station, who were equally struck by the
beauty and distinction Of the young girl and
the peculiar appearance Of tie man. Not
only were his hair and beard white, but his
face was horribly dishgured by what seemed
scars from burn.
They walked toward villa which was for
sale, and examined it with view to its pur-
chase. and in few days they were installed
there as the owners.
AS is usual in small Villages the people Of
this charming valley soon found out all about
their new neighbor, who had bought tho
White House, as the villa was called, and they
told each other that he was rich Canadian
who had come TO France with his daughter.
His name was William Forney, and that Of
the daughter Miss Suzanne Forney. HeE
mother was dead.
When they were settled In their new home
NJ. Forney asked his daughter If she thought
she should feel huppy in her new home. She
replied:
wherever you are I am happy, and feel
sure that We will both be happy here"
The father bowed his head and looked
tenderly ut his daughter, sitting a sigh. As
the reader will have OWNED, this father md
child were the same who had fed from
France on that dreary night, Roger Laroque
mud Suzanne